1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a game playing piece or token for board games and the like and, in particular, to a shaped lower surface on the playing piece which enables the playing piece to be easily lifted from a surface, particularly of a game board.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
Many different types of game playing pieces are known. Common to many of them is that the playing piece is generally flat in shape and has distinctive markings on its upper surface. These markings, which may include numbers, letters, pictures or symbols, are used in a game to enable plays to be made. Many games utilizing flat playing pieces require that the pieces be placed on a playing surface or board, often adjacent one another in order that the marked upper surface may be used in the course of the game. Examples of placement of playing pieces on a playing surface are disclosed in Brunot British Pat. No. 747,598; Koiransky French Pat. No. 599,951; Hardesty U.S. Pat. No. 3,638,947; and Hoyles U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,580.
The flattened shape of the playing pieces used in the games of the above-named patents enables markings on the top surface thereof to be seen by all of the game players around the playing surface during the course of the game. However, the flattened shape also makes the playing pieces used in these games difficult to pick up from the playing surface. This is particularly true when several game pieces are adjacent one another, such as disclosed in FIG. 1 of the Hardesty patent, or when a playing piece is located within an elevated rectangular grid, such as shown in FIG. 1 of the Hoyles patent.
Play of these and other similar games is often disrupted by dislocation of playing pieces caused by attempts of a player to pick up one of the playing pieces from the board so that he or she may remove it, turn it over, or move it to a new location. In so moving a playing piece, a player often bumps or otherwise knocks out of place other playing pieces, which then must be moved back to their previous locations. This causes delays in the game and arguments between players over the proper prior locations and may even cause the game to be discontinued if the disturbance of the pieces or of the players is severe enough. All of this detracts from the primary objective of a game, which is to have fun.